Chapter 97

The dinner is sumptuous, one of the most elegant dinners I've ever had, even by Alpha-family standards. It's an old-school seven course dinner, with hors d'oeuvres circulating on silver trays along with trays of champagne while the servers set up for dinner.

Then comes the soup, which is a crab bisque that I could eat all night long, even if there were no other courses. I make a mental note to tell Marcus that I definitely want it served at our wedding.

Next are the appetizers - a sort of sautéd mushroom concoction - and then the salad, a strawberry and walnut combination that I also want served at our wedding. The main course is rare prime rib, which I love, and dessert is raspberry chocolate mousse.

The one aspect of the meal unfamiliar to me is what Marcus whispers is called the "mignardise," a tiny, bite-sized dessert served with our coffee at the very end. This proves to be a chocolate hazelnut petit four that I could eat by the basketful.

And, of course, wine pairings go with each course. By the time we're finished, I'm pleasantly stuffed to the gills and can feel a warm buzz humming just underneath my skin. I'm relaxed in the best way possible: alert, but feeling very good indeed.

Marcus laughs when I lean back in my chair ever so slightly and sigh a little bit.

"Too much?" he asks in a low voice.

"No, it's just perfect," I say. "Though I could've chosen a different style of dress; the bodice on this doesn't leave much room for expansion."

Marcus chuckles again and lightly brushes my curls from my face. His brown skin is glowing in the low lighting, and his blue eyes sparkle marvelously. I have to remember where I am, that I can't reach up and run my hands through his hair and kiss him silly, the way I want to.

How on earth did I get so lucky? I wonder to myself. After everything I've been through, I never thought a fairy-tale ending would be waiting for me here at the finish line. And yet, here I am.

"What are you thinking?" Marcus murmurs, and I tell him. He smiles, warmly.

"But it's not the finish line," he points out. "Not even a little bit. It's just the beginning, Nicole. The beginning of the rest of our lives."

I realize that he's right, and I smile even wider, feeling happier than ever. Marcus winks at me before pushing his chair back to stand, holding out a hand to me. I take it and let him pull me up gently.

"The dancing will begin as soon as everything is cleared away from dinner," he says to me. "And then we have to open the dance, both of us. It's tradition, you know how it goes."

I'm alarmed. "What? You never told me anything about dancing. I'm not - I mean, I can dance a little bit, but I'm definitely not a ballroom dancer. I've watched Dancing with the Stars, but I didn't exactly retain anything from it."

Marcus snorts, but it's a kind sound.

"Don't worry," he said. "You don't have to know how to dance: I do. And, luckily for you, I've been taking lessons since I was four."

I must still look alarmed, because Marcus outright laughs.

"I mean it, Nicole," he says. "It'll be a very simple waltz. I lead, you follow. And we only open the dance for about 90 seconds before everyone else is supposed to join us. If you can follow my lead for 90 seconds, you'll be fine."

"Maybe," I grumble darkly. "But if I trip and fall on my face in front of all of these people, I'll never forgive you."

"I promise not to let you trip and fall on your face," Marcus says. "As long as you don't step on my feet. I'm kidding!" he exclaims when I look horrified again. "I'm kidding. Even if you step on my feet, I won't let you trip. Scout's honor."

I roll my eyes, but I allow him to lead me away from the table and toward the bar area, where he plucks another glass of champagne from the display to hand to me.

"Just follow my lead, and you'll be fine," he says. "Do you think you can do that?"

"I can follow your lead anywhere," I say softly, smiling at him. He smiles back. Someone groans right behind me, and I turn to find Liam, making a mock-disgusted face.

"You two are sickening," he says. "You're enough to put me off romance altogether, and, as Marcus can tell you, I'm generally a hopeless romantic."

"Emphasis on the 'hopeless' part," Marcus says drily, and Liam whacks his arm with a pretend punch.

"You wound me, sir," he says.

I laugh, and the other two do as well. Despite the dancing looming ahead of me, I feel cozy and safe here, content and at peace. I take a sip of my champagne.

"Anyway, the cleanup and setup will be at least another hour, give or take," Liam says to me. "So, you have a bit of a reprieve before Marcus here leads you to the guillotine, so to speak. Do you want to go practice in the hallway with me for a bit first, just to get your sea legs?"”

"You're such a rascal, Liam," Marcus laughs. "She'll be fine. Besides, my father wants to talk to Nicole for a moment, first."

"Well, don't say I never try to help you!" Liam waves us off cheerfully before turning back into circulation mode, probably on the hunt for that hopeless romance he professes to be such a connoisseur of.

Marcus shakes his head fondly, then tugs on my hand. "Come on, let's go see my father. He has a surprise for you."

"Ah, Nicole!" the Alpha says, looking up at me from where he's sitting behind his cleared table, sipping on the decaf coffee that I reminded the servers to bring to him. "I'm glad to see you, dearest, though I'd be gladder if you hadn't terrified my own staff against giving me real coffee, even when I tried to give them a direct order to do so."

"Ah, yes, he was absolutely impossible," Jeanette chimes in, leaning over and waving her wine glass in emphasis. "He almost became a tyrant, Nicole, you wouldn't have known him. I had to get quite stern with him, and remind him to follow his doctor's orders."

I fondly shake my head at Emmett, my heart feeling so full at the entire interaction. A few months ago, Jeanette was working against me, in deep denial about her husband's limitations. And now, she's not only so openly on my side, we're all joking together, all sharing a laugh.

It's - well, it's definitely what I've always thought a real family should be like.

I think Emmett can guess what I'm thinking, because he gives me a soft smile and gestures for me to sit.

"Nicole, I hope you don't mind, but Marcus told his mother and I about your desire to open a private practice," he says. "Jeanette and I both think it's a marvelous idea."

"You do?" I ask. "But - what about your own health? I don't want you to think that I don't want to attend to you anymore, because that's not true at all."

"Of course it's not, darling," Jeanette says. "Nobody suspected that for a moment. But Emmett doesn't need you on a full-time basis anymore, as you know. Now that half his family has stopped trying to murder him every other minute, you've stabilized him marvelously."

"And I'll never stop being grateful for it," Emmett says. "I know you'll always be on hand as my private physician, Nicole, and we love you even more for that. That's why we're also so keen to support you in your new venture.

"You need something to occupy your days; a bright girl like you was never going to be content using your skills just a few hours a week to monitor a doddering old man. Now, now, don't interrupt!" he says, holding up a hand with twinkling eyes.

"Nor is being a society wife the right path for you," Jeanette chips in, draining her wine and motioning for another. "You would go mad within a month, mark my words, darling. It might be for me, but I have a very different constitution."

"That's why we're going to fully fund your private practice," Emmett resumes. "It's not even because you're family, dear girl; it's because you've more than earned it. Private practice takes a while to get off the ground and running, and we don't want you to worry about a thing."

"You do the work, and we'll foot the bills, is what we're saying," Jeanette says. "Easier than anything. All we have to do is write a check. We won't interfere in any way, either."

"We will be happy to direct private clients to you, if you wish," Emmett says. "We have many connections, and I can personally attest to your skill. Having a roster of high-paying clients isn't a bad idea."

"We understand that your greatest wish is to help the less fortunate," Jeanette is serious now, dropping her airy tone for a moment. "Despite the impressions you may have gotten from me in the past, Nicole, I cannot tell you how whole-heartedly I support such a venture.

"You'll have unlimited financial and practical support from us to do that," she goes on. "I think Emmett is correct that you should consider taking on some of our high-society friends as clients, to help subsidize the practice so that you can offer free and low-cost medical care to those who can't pay."

"And we'll also help you with grant applications," Marcus says, speaking up at last. "Liam is an amazing businessman, for all his silliness, and grant work is one of his areas of speciality."

"In short, dear girl, we are here for you," Emmett says, reaching out to take my hand gently. "You've given this family so much, and now you're a part of it, too. We're so proud of you, and we're here to help you achieve your dreams."

I'm so overwhelmed that I can't speak. I just launch myself forward to hug Emmett, and then Jeanette, and finally Marcus.

I finally feel like I've truly come home.